what do you think of Spot?

oh and one other thing...im not 100% up to date on the way spot works but i haven't seen any mention of sarsat yet....is spot actually monitored by cospas-sarsat...what exactly is 911 services....i personally like the idea that with a plb the appropriate authorities with helicopters, ships, and airplanes and all the other fancy stuff the coast guard and search and rescue teams have across the country are at my disposal at a moments notice if i need them...not some 911 dispatcher in the middle of nowhere...but like i said i don't thoroughly understand the way spot contacts the emergency services...


the fact of the matter is with either spot or a plb you won't give a damn how much it costs if you ever need to use it...and either one is better than nothing

like anything else, it's a trade off, you pays your money, you takes your chances.. i look at it like insurance.

YN, there's a detailed whitepaper attached to the spot website. explains all the concerns you have with that service.

same applies to the ACR website [ they're the high end PLB maker] there's a detailed white paper there too.

as for a radio with a GPS, how bout a GPS with a radio built in?? that would be the garmin rhino series. sadly, it doesnt look like the radio works on marine VHF freq's.

I think it's a good idea if you are into expedition kayaking and/or paddling in remote places.

Sean Morely carried one on his little paddle around Vancouver Island in 17 days, and it seemed pretty reliable and usefull.

it sends e-mail updates on your location to your wifey, and although there is the annual subscription cost, they say it buys you into rescue insurance that will cover you in the event of a $200k coast guard helicopter rescue. also it automatically relays your position and distress signal to ALL emergency services with the push of a button.

i guess it depends on if you want your wife to know where you are or not , or how reliable your VHF is in your area of intended use. it's cheaper than a satellite phone.

I've had friends call maydays out on their VHF with NO replies from anyone.

I have never felt the need for one, but I'm planning a kayak trip down the inside passage next year, and will probably take a spot or a satellite phone.

well i asked for one for Christmas....i gave it alot more thought....and yes i do think the real epirb may be slightly better but i guess for the initial cost it probably makes more sense for the spot...and for people with spouses and worried loved ones it probably does help that they can track you in real time and receive emails...won't do me much good since i don't have any of those in the area lol...only thing that scares me about it is you are relying on a third party to notify the appropriate authorities....but seeing the liability of them not responding correctly i think they have ample motivation to do there job correctly....as far as the 100k rescue services...that is nice although if you read the fine print they actually only provide 50k of coverage for any single event in a year...but hey thats alot more money than i have now    that can also cover private search helos....but just remember at 3000-8000 dollars an hour operating cost of a helicopter it doesn't take long to reach 50k just on a helo alone....but something is better than nothing anyday....that service is an extra 7 dollars a year if activated at registration and 50 dollars a year if added on later from wat i understand...small price to pay if you actually have the need for the service....so i think i will get spot and be happy with that....at least my landlord can track me and i make sure im not dead (i always call them with an estimated time of return and all that because the lady is always worried about me going out so i figure they would probably like watching me on google earth lol)  plus i could track my distance with a gps until i get one

fyi - John just announced a program that offers a free Spot (although not the service itself) with the purchase of a Necky, Old Town, or Ocean Kayak boat over $499. You can view the details here:

http://www.findmespot.com/jow/


Brian

That's a pretty sweat deal.  I wonder if my serial number will work?  I don't see any rules about when the kayak had to be purchased.

Brian

I'm going to give it a shot tonight!

I haven't found exact details either, but there's a spot on the page to enter your serial number. if you enter & it gives you the coupon code, you should be all set. I do know all 2009 boats qualify, and those started hitting the market late last summer.

I just went in and inquired about it.. Got my coupon code went in.  Thought if it was free that it would be a nice treat for WR a 50th b-day present.. well what i came up with was a coupon for 169.00 and you have to buy the package listed below to get any of the discounts.


SPOT Complete Bundle - SPOT + Basic Service + Tracking Service
SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger + $149.98 toward 12-months Unlimited Basic & Tracking Service... $319.97

 so total was 319.97 - 169.00 coupon. = it came to like 150.00 give or take a couple of cents and tax and shipping. Havent decided yet .. Looks like it comes with some service.

My kayak was bought at the OK/Johnsons Outdoor sales a couple of weeks ago. Its a T13

Marilyn

Good to hear it works like they say on the website... free spot with purchase of 1 yr of service with tracking and an OK kayak.   

Now the technical difficulty on my end is that I haven't actually purchased my kayak yet (it's a demo).

Brian

correct, you do need to purchase the service, it's just the physical spot unit you get for free.

Up for grabs is a cert code for a free spot.   

As posted earlier if you purchase a yak you can get a free spot but ya got to buy the service. at this time i or my friend cant afford the service.. So i have my discount code up for grabs for anyone who wants it.

Send me a message and let me know..

Marilyn

I think it was posted earlier, but I can't find it. I have an OK T13. Where is the serial number located?

It should be on the engraved on the starboard bow and stern.

If you didn't get one of these with your kayak (it was a demo boat right?), here's the owner's manual as a PDF

http://www.oceankayak.com/product_support/downloads/owners_manual.pdf